‘I Can Sit Here and Complain About It, or I Can Embrace It’ — Steve Sarkisian Wades Into the SEC Schedule Debate Ahead of the Red River Rivalry

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Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that Oklahoma has played better than its 2-2 record suggests, pointing to a tough schedule ahead of Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game in Dallas.

Oklahoma’s two losses came on the road, 17-10 at Michigan and 41-13 at then-No. 2 Georgia. Sarkisian called that part of life in the SEC, a point he also made about the top-ranked Longhorns’ own October schedule.

Steve Sarkisian Points to Oklahoma’s Road Schedule Before Red River Rivalry

Sarkisian opened his news conference by saying Oklahoma coach Brent Venables probably wishes the record were different, but that his team plays hard. He said the Sooners have draft picks all over their defense and playmaking ability on offense similar to Texas’.

“I’d say this about Oklahoma; I don’t necessarily know that they haven’t played well,” Sarkisian said. “I think, first of all, defensively, they’ve played exceptional. These guys are a phenomenal defensive football team.”

David Eckert, who covers the Longhorns for Horns247, summed up the answer in a post on X. “Steve Sarkisian rejects the idea that OU hasn’t played well,” Eckert wrote.

Oklahoma held Michigan to 263 total yards and 111 passing yards in the loss. Sarkisian said untimely turnovers have hurt the Sooners on offense. They turned the ball over four times at Georgia, including a fumble that Chris Cole returned 85 yards for a touchdown.

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Sarkisian also pointed to the road trips. “I’m sure Coach Venables wishes he had the schedule of some other teams that had, and they could be 4-0 and so on and so forth,” he said. “That’s the life we live in our conference.”

Texas senior linebacker Justin Cryer said he doesn’t take much from Oklahoma’s recent performances, according to the Houston Chronicle. “This is a game they’re going to show up for,” Cryer said. “We have to be on it, or it’s going to be a long day for us.”

Sarkisian Says Texas Embraces Its Own Challenging SEC Schedule

Texas, 4-0 after a 20-17 win at then-No. 14 Tennessee on Sept. 26, faces its own run of conference games. After Saturday, the Longhorns play Florida on Oct. 17, Ole Miss on Oct. 24 and Mississippi State on Oct. 31, all in Austin, before visiting Missouri on Nov. 7.

Sarkisian said Texas is about to start an eight-game stretch in the SEC, with three straight home games after a month away from Austin. He pointed to the weekend’s league games, including Kentucky at South Carolina and Florida at Missouri, as reminders that teams must be ready every week.

“So through it all, this is the life in the SEC, and I can sit here and complain about it, or I can embrace it, which is kind of what we’ve done, and say, wouldn’t want it any other way,” Sarkisian said. “Let’s go to work.”

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Sarkisian has welcomed a tough schedule before. After Texas rallied from a 23-3 deficit to beat then-No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 on Sept. 12, he said Texas could be like other teams, play a junior high team and win 66-0, but that he didn’t know what that would do for the Longhorns.

First comes Oklahoma. Sarkisian said Texas will get the Sooners’ best shot. He noted the Longhorns were in the same situation a year ago, a two-loss team coming off a loss to Florida.

Texas trailed 6-3 at halftime of that game before shutting out Oklahoma 20-0 in the second half, its second straight win in the series. Sarkisian is 3-2 against the Sooners.

One Oklahoma fan was wary of the praise from the Texas coach. “Prop us up before the slaughter,” the fan wrote.

Texas is an 8.5-point favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, while PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives the Longhorns a 78.5% win probability in this most bitter of rivalries.

Another Oklahoma fan was skeptical as well. “He’s planning all week how many he wants to win by,” the fan wrote.

The 122nd meeting between Texas and Oklahoma kicks off Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, with the Longhorns looking to stay on track in the race to the College Football Playoff and the Sooners seeking a turnaround in fortunes that may be more tied to the struggles of quarterback John Mateer than any scheduling strife raised by Sarkisian this week.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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